Gwendolyn Brook’s “The Boy Died in My Alley” is a poem written in response to her previous writing, “of De Witt Williams on his way to Lincoln Cemetery”. Both poems are talking about a young black boy who is dead and two varying perspectives of him.

The first poem, “of De Witt Williams on his way to Lincoln Cemetery” does not go into much detail about the boy himself. The boy is in a casket and is being taken through the town where he lived, most likely for funeral purposes. The poem talks about the places in the town where the boy had experiences. Seeing things like the “Pool Hall” and the “Dance Halls” (lines 7 and 15). The poem has a perspective of someone who is detached and insensitive to the situation in some lines. Saying that the boy was “nothing but a / plain black boy” (lines 3-4). This could almost be from the perspective of what a white person at the time would see the death as. Saying that it did not matter because it was “just a black boy”, nothing special. I can see this as political because it calls attention to race and how people can dehumanize someone so quickly because of that. The boy and his death does not matter or has less importance because he is black.

 The second poem, “The Boy Died in My Alley” could be about the boy from the previous poem and how he died. This poem is more focused on the perspective of someone in the community, heard the gunshot that killed the boy. The speaker in this poem talks about the community more when she mentions the gunshots. She did not know that the boy had died, she had only heard the gunshot. But she had not thought anything about the gunshot because she hears them all the time. This shows the danger and harsh community that the speaker and the boy lived in. Shots being fired frequently to the point where people who heard them were unfazed. The speaker admits that she did know the boy but had seen him frequently getting into bad situations. She admits that she did nothing to intervene and shows guilt because of that. This second poem sheds a light on a dark and very realistic situation that many African Americans have lived through. Hard and dangerous communities where gunshots and killed children are not really a surprise.

I enjoyed both poems and enjoyed them even more when they were put together side by side. Her writing grows between the two and it is obvious. I liked seeing a topical perspective as well as an in-depth perspective. I really enjoyed the second poem, “The Boy Died in My Alley” because of its raw and honest voice. The line “Policeman said, the next morning, / apparently died alone” stuck with me (lines 3-4). It is a situation that is very real and it really hit hard for me to try to contemplate other situations like this. This is a poem, but it reflects the reality shown in so many areas and lives across the world. I think Brooks did a great job of making it hit home and hit deep without needing to relate. I have been lucky enough to grow up in a community where this is not my life, but her writing did not stop my inexperienced mind from understanding and contemplating the truth and harsh reality behind her words.

I think this question is a valid one, especially because of the cultural conflictions that were occurring in the Harlem Renaissance era. My opinions on this are not very concrete because I believe that both Hughes as well as Keats and Cullen are all correct. I think that focusing on one’s personal culture and community specifically and representing it strongly is important. I think writers should go into depth about their communities so that readers have more of an in-depth knowledge and understanding about the cultures that they may not be able to witness or be a part of. Having writers that hone-in on what makes their culture and community special is how those who read can get cultured from their very own home. Someone who lives far away in the mountains may never understand exactly what Hughes was talking about when he described what it felt and sounded like to hear a piano player simply play blues. But this writing and in-depth knowledge can allow someone like that to have more of an idea as to what the culture of that area and time felt like. But, like I said, I also believe the other argument is valid as well. Culture is its own culture because it is different when compared to others. And that culture is important because of how it effects and relates to other things of relevance at the time or in the future. If we never take the time to look into what that culture inspired or actually did in a community and its surrounding communities, it is like it was not there in relevance to the world.

In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Chapter 10, Douglass explains his own experiences and horrors from Masters that he had that were supposedly Christian slaveholders. I don’t think Douglass had to do anything specifically to prove his point about the hypocrisy of Christian slaveowners. He simply told his story. Anyone reading his accounts would have a really hard time arguing that their actions were reflecting those views projected in the bible. Themes in the bible like respect, kindness, and treating everyone with love no matter who they are. Anyone, even those who are Christians, like me, have a hard time arguing that Douglass’ point is wrong. As someone who has grown up as a Christian and is proud of their religion, this is one of those moments when reading this that pains me. Hearing Douglass call these slave owners “religious wretch[es]” is hard to hear because there is no doubt that this is what those people were like (1043). I don’t doubt that all of this happened. And I do not doubt that those who claimed to be Christian were the worst ones. The main point I had to remind myself of whilst reading was…claiming to be Christian is not the same as being a Christian. But, Douglass’ main center point was exactly that, the hypocrisy of these people. It is completely wrapped up in claiming to be something and misrepresenting an entire group with that. I saw what Douglass was doing with his friends as a religious experience in a way. When he would teach them to read on the Sabbath. Religion is where people find their beliefs, their passions, and their community. I think Douglass finally found that here. having a community of friends and people like him that shared the same hard experiences while also still having the capacity to love each other and care. Although Douglass’ main point is about the religious bigotry of his experiences, I think it was also about the truth that he found with those people, and his own religious experience outside of religion.

I agree with Baym when she states that Nathaniel Hawthorne is a feminist writer, especially for his time. The main character and her interactions with her husband show that he is in fact “feminist” in a way. In Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” the main character Aylmer is married to a beautiful woman named Georgiana who was born with a noticeable birthmark on her face. She has always found confidence in her birthmark because she said that “it has been so often called a charm…I imagine it might be so.” She sees her birthmark as a charm and gift almost. Aylmer states that her birthmark “shocks him” and is a “visible mark of earthly imperfection.” This shows Aylmer’s opinions on the expectation of perfection in women. He goes on to encourage Georgiana to remove the birthmark and convinces her that she should rather die than live with it on her face. She begs to have it removed despite the danger that comes with it. She dies as the last part of her birthmark goes away. Her last words were “you have rejected the best that earth could offer. Aylmer-dearest Aylmer-I am dying!”

Hawthorne’s writing here shows that men expect and have this entitled feeling towards perfection, especially in women. Aylmer expected his wife to go and fix her flaw so that she could become perfect. Hawthorne shows his support and empathy for women and the expectation of perfection and beauty. He makes the point here that men , instead of trying to fix women, should love and accept their flaws. I think it could also be said that Hawthorne sees beauty in her “flaw”. At the beginning of the story he states that it is seen as a charm, but her husband convinces her otherwise. A message found in that would be that men should not just accept women for their flaws, but should find beauty in those flaws. Love the women because of her flaws, not despite them.